‘NTA is national corruption agency; conduct high-level probe or dissolve': NSUI after CBI FIR, arrests in NEET

In another blow to its credibility and reputation, the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has demanded a comprehensive investigation or dissolution of the National Testing Agency (NTA) over repeated allegations of paper leaks, OMR sheet tampering, and corruption in the national-level entrance exams, especially, the National Eligibility Entrance Examination (NEET UG) 2025.

Citing a recent First Information Report (FIR) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and arrests in Maharashtra during a press conference, the NSUI president Varun Choudhary termed NTA as the ‘national corruption agency’ over repeated cases of irregularities in the exams like NEET.

Accused Sandeep Shah and Salim Patel allegedly deceived NEET 2025 candidates and their families by claiming that they could manipulate their exam scores in exchange for Rs 90 lakh per student.

“The National Testing Agency has become the National Corruption Agency. Every time the NEET exam is held, new things come to light. You must have seen that the CBI has filed a new FIR and some arrests were made in Maharashtra. Yes, we agree that bail was granted but the allegations repeatedly show that the agency behind conducting the NEET exam - NTA - is repeatedly under suspicion,” charged Choudhary.

Paper leaks, OMR sheet tampering in NEET

Last year too, the NSUI president noted, there was rigging in the NEET exam. NTA is not only involved in the NEET scandal but in any exam conducted by it - the example of CUET is in front of you - how the entire data is leaked, after the exam is conducted, phone calls and messages are sent to the students, the NSUI president claimed.

In the FIR that was filed, there was a mention of OMR sheets. Those who took money, the ones running rackets, in which many times people from coaching academies are found involved, talk about changing the OMR sheets. “So imagine when all the details of the OMR sheets are with those mafias who get the paper leaked. NEET exam is not a small exam, it is the backbone of the health service. When there is rigging in this manner, what kind of students will come out as doctors, and the students who are deserving, who give the exam after working hard, get scared,” the NSUI member said.

Considering all these things, it was the government's job to investigate the high-level officials of NTA, the student body said while taking a dig at the BJP government. “What is the compulsion of the government that it starts protecting NTA again and again and no major investigation has been started on NTA till now,” it asked.

NSUI wants that NTA should be investigated immediately on a large scale or it should be diluted and threatened with a protest. “Otherwise the way we protested earlier, we were booked but we are not going to be scared,” Varun Choudhary added.

Following last year’s NEET scam, a high-level committee on NTA reforms suggested several changes in NEET UG including multi-stage test, multi-session exam, security overhaul, computer-assisted pen-and-paper mode exam, digital transfer of question papers. Notably, Pradeep Singh Kharola was appointed as the director general of the NTA on an additional charge basis after Subodh Kumar Singh was placed on ‘compulsory wait’ in the Department of Personnel and Training.